EMS health professionals are a breed apart – they experience a completely different side of healthcare, and need their own solid support system to maintain themselves in their chosen field. Facebook can provide some of that support!
Health care professionals are a special kind of person, but those who work in the field of emergency medical services (EMS) are a breed of their own. Being in EMS means that difficult situations are your daily norm. It is dealing in tragedy more often than anything else.
There is limited free time and stress and the responsibilities of the job are ever present. Because EMS professionals enter this type of career and life knowingly and willingly, they are indeed unique.
Being in EMS isn’t something done for money or fame because neither is a staple of that career. The job perks and stability are limited. Tension is a daily reminder of a difficult and sometimes seemingly-impossible job. Why give so much of oneself to something that seems to give back so little?
South Carolina EMT Nate Dionne told The Art of Manliness he became an EMT, “Because I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself, something important, and because I was giving back.” Making a difference. It really can be as simple as that.
Away from the job, EMS professionals are like the rest of us. They like to relax, they surf the web, and they deliberately connect with people like themselves because that’s human nature. Facebook is one of the main places you can find EMS workers gathering, swapping stories and mutually supporting each other.
While the potential to realize some professional perks from this nature of networking is always possible, it is more about community. It’s about being with people that “get it” and can provide the kind of professional and personal advice that you can only get from people who have walked in your shoes.
Unlike personal profiles, Facebook Pages are more topic oriented. Anyone can follow and participate on these pages without approval or needing to send and wait on friend requests. With that in mind, here are 24 Facebook Pages that should be on the radar of all EMS professionals:
* List is in alphabetical order
1.) American Heart Association – CPR & First Aid
3.) CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response
5.) Emergency Medical Services
7.) EMS Emergency Medical Services
8.) EMS Today Conference & Expo
15.) FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
17.) JEMS – Emergency Medical Services
20.) Prehospital 12-Lead ECG Blog
(This list is intended to provide EMS professionals with Facebook Pages offering the most beneficial information for career development. A variety of factors (i.e. frequency of posts, value of information shared, level of discussion/engagement, etc.) was factored into the selection process.)